Reed Robbins [1925-], Stockton realtor, is descended from the Fanning family, Stockton
residents since the city was founded (1848). His father, Curtis M. Robbins, was also
realtor. Robbins attended the University of California, graduating with a B.S. in Civil
Engineering in 1945. He took graduate work in Business Administration and Real Estate at
the University of Wisconsin. In 1947, Robbins entered the real estate business. His
company handled residential properties until 1981. From that date, Robbins became
affiliated with First Dominion Financial Services, Inc. and specialized in "real
estate-limited partnerships in high quality commercial income property." Active in
various professional realty organizations, he was elected president of the Stockton
Realty Board (1958) and the California Real Estate Association (1967). He was a member of
various committees of the National Association of Real Estate Boards. As a member of the
International Real Estate Federation, Robbins was a featured speaker at the Association's
1966 convention in Tokyo. Reed Robbins was also active in community affairs. During the
1950s, Robbins was a member of the Board of Directors of the Stockton Chamber of
Commerce. He served from 1959 to 1969 on the President of the University of California's
Real Estate Advisory Committee. From 1962, he was a member of Build America Better, an
urban renewal advisory organization, which sent him, in 1965, as part of a four member
team to advise the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Robbins was chosen "Mr. Stockton 1964"
for "outstanding contributions toward the betterment of our city." He was a prominent
figure in various controversies surrounding the use of downtown Stockton buildings. In
1978, for instance, Robbins opposed the erection of a new Courthouse Annex, advocating
instead the renovation of existing unoccupied structures. In 1983, Robbins was chairman
of the San Joaquin County Grand Jury that oversaw the rewriting of the rules under which
the Grand Jury operates. Subsequently, he was appointed by President Reagan to the
national Solar Energy Advisory Committee. As a spokesman for state realtor groups,
Robbins campaigned against the California Open Housing Initiative (Prop. 14) in 1964.
Since that time, he has been an active fund raiser and propagandist for various
conservative causes and candidates, including Barry Goldwater, the Jarvis-Gann initiative
(Prop. 13) and Ronald Reagan, on whose behalf Robbins helped form Realtors in Support of
the Administration. Reed Robbins was President of the Stockton Rotary Club from 1976
through 1977. He was also a member of the Masons, the Shriners, the Yosemite Club, the
American Legion and the Stockton Symphony Association.